NFL Hall of Famer shares high praise for Seahawks QB Sam Darnold

With the regular season now over, we finally have verdicts on a couple of offseason questions and clarity on some controversial narratives. The Seattle Seahawks made the biggest gamble at quarterabck of any team this past year, and it paid off big. With Sam Darnold leading the way, they finished the season 14-3, earning the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

A couple of other teams could have had Darnold leading them, but decided against it. Tom Brady reportedly shot the idea down of the Las Vegas Raiders pursuing them. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings elected to go with JJ McCarthy.

Fast forward nine months and the Raiders wound up finishing with the league's worst record, while the Vikings missed out on the playoffs - in large part due to poor returns at quarterback.

It's time to give Darnold the respect that he deserves. Here's NFL Hall of Famer and Vikings legend Randy Moss giving Darnold his flowers.

Randy Moss on Sam Darnold

.@RandyMoss has high praise for Sam Darnold after winning 14 games in back-to-back seasons 💪 🏆 pic.twitter.com/4TJrLks9cT
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) January 4, 2026

To be sure, Darnold's game still has its flaws. He wound up leading the NFL in turnovers, including 14 interceptions and six fumbles. However, Darnold was also productive, finishing the season with over 4,000 passing yards and 25 touchdowns. His 99.1 passer rating was the second-best mark of his career behind 2024 with the Vikings. He also finished with four game winning drives and dropped his sack total from 48 last year to just 27.

Looking ahead, Darnold still has two years left on his very team-friendly contract. His cap number will rise to $33.9 million this year, followed by $44.9 million in 2027. The next big deadline for this deal will come on the fifth day of the waiver period - at which point his $17.5 million base salary for the 2026 season will become fully guaranteed.

The Seahawks have never been shy about cutting players for cap savings, but it would be ludicrous to do so with Darnold at this early point in his contract.

Darnold is the most dynamic quarterback in franchise history and has a ceiling higher than anyone they've ever started. With a little more time to get into rhyhm with Rashid Shaheed and his other receivers not named JSN, Darnold could yet push his game to an All-Pro level.

Randy Moss on Sam Darnold

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